Climbing Mount Everest once is a life-defining achievement for most people. Doing it 32 times sounds like a statistical impossibility. Yet, on Sunday morning, May 17, 2026, 56-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa stood on top of the world yet again, breaking his own world record for the most successful ascents of the 8,848.86-meter peak.
He reached the summit at 10:12 a.m. local time while leading an international client group for 14 Peaks Expedition. It is a stunning athletic feat. But focusing only on the number 32 misses the real story. For another look, consider: this related article.
This latest climb comes at a time when Nepal's mountaineering industry is facing massive shifts, skyrocketing fees, and an alarming shortage of experienced local guides. Kami Rita isn't chasing fame. He's literally doing his job, and his career highlights the changing reality of high-altitude labor.
The Backstory of the Everest Man
You don't just wake up and decide to climb Everest dozens of times. Kami Rita was born in January 1970 in Thame, a village in the Solukhumbu district. If that village sounds familiar, it's because it also produced Tenzing Norgay, the man who first summited Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary back in 1953. Related analysis on this trend has been provided by Bleacher Report.
High-altitude mountaineering is basically the family business. Kami Rita's father was one of the first professional Sherpa Sirdars (climbing leaders) after Nepal opened the mountains to foreigners in 1950. His brother, Lakpa Rita, is also an elite guide who scaled Everest 17 times.
Kami Rita started working on the mountain in 1992 as a support staffer, hauling gear and camp supplies. He made his first official summit in 1994 when he was 24 years old. Since then, he has returned almost every single year. The only times he didn't summit were when the mountain was closed due to major disasters, like the 2014 avalanche, the 2015 earthquake, or the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. He has even summited twice in a single season multiple times when his clients needed him.
What people often forget is that Everest isn't his only playground. He has also conquered K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Manaslu. His life is defined by thin air.
Why Elite Guides Are Leaving the Mountain
While the headlines rightly celebrate Kami Rita's 32nd summit, the broader Sherpa community is quietly dealing with a serious crisis. Veteran guides are stepping away from the industry.
It isn't hard to see why. Rising global temperatures have made the Khumbu Icefall and the upper sections of the mountain increasingly unstable. Ice is melting faster, rockfalls are more frequent, and the weather windows are shrinking. Three Nepali climbers have already died on Everest this month alone.
On top of the physical danger, there's a distinct lack of long-term social security or reliable financial safety nets for these guides if they get injured. Younger generations of Sherpas, seeing the toll the mountain took on their parents, are choosing different career paths. Many are moving to Kathmandu or emigrating abroad for education and safer work.
When you talk to older climbers in the region, they'll tell you that finding seasoned, elite guides who can manage a crisis at 8,000 meters is getting harder. That's why Kami Rita's ongoing presence matters. He isn't just a record-holder; he is a stabilizing force and an mentor for the younger crew members trying to navigate an increasingly unpredictable environment.
The Reality of Commercial Guiding
Western media often frames these record-breaking climbs as an obsession with glory. Before he left for Base Camp this spring, Kami Rita explicitly stated that he returns to the mountain as part of his livelihood, not to collect records or prestige.
To understand his perspective, you have to look at how different his climbs are from those of foreign mountaineers. When a Western guide like British climber Kenton Cool (who holds the non-Sherpa record with 19 summits) or American Dave Hahn climbs Everest, it's typically a highly publicized, heavily sponsored event.
For local guides, it's a grueling work shift. They arrive weeks before the clients to fix miles of heavy ropes, establish high camps, carry hundreds of pounds of oxygen bottles, and cook meals. On summit day, they aren't looking at the view. They are checking their client's oxygen flow, monitoring frostbite signs, and making life-or-death decisions about when to turn back.
Interestingly, Sunday was a massive day for veteran local climbers all around. While Kami Rita was securing his 32nd win, 52-year-old Lhakpa Sherpa, known as the "Mountain Queen," broke her own world record by completing her 11th successful summit of Everest, the most of any woman in history. Both of them treat the world's highest peak like a workplace because, for them, it is.
The Rising Cost of Standing on Top of the World
If you want to follow in Kami Rita's footsteps as a client, it's going to cost you a lot more than it used to. Nepal recently introduced major regulatory changes, including the Sixth Amendment of the mountaineering regulations.
The government issued 492 climbing permits for the current March-to-May spring season, which is historically a high number. But they are squeezing more revenue out of those permits. Here's how the financial structural shifts look for foreign climbers using the standard southern route:
- Spring Permit Fee: Jumped from $11,000 USD to $15,000 USD per person.
- Autumn Permit Fee: Increased from $5,500 USD to $7,500 USD.
- Other 8,000-meter Peaks: Spring fees rose from $1,800 USD to $3,000 USD.
The new rules also banned solo expeditions on all 8,000-meter peaks. Every single climber must now hire a registered guide. This rule was designed to improve safety and cut down on the number of solo rescues, but it also guarantees work for local agencies. Even the royalty fees for Nepali citizens doubled to 150,000 Nepalese Rupees for a spring climb.
When you add up the permit fees, the mandatory guide salaries, oxygen, gear, and logistics, a budget Everest attempt will easily run you $45,000 USD on the low end, while luxury operations can top $100,000 USD.
How to Prepare If You Actually Want to Climb Everest
Most people will never try to scale an 8,000-meter peak, and honestly, that's probably for the best. But if you have the disposable income and the dark desire to stand on the summit, you can't just buy your way up without doing the foundational work. The days of showing up at Base Camp with zero experience are mostly over thanks to stricter agency screening.
First, you need to build a multi-year mountaineering resume. You don't start with Everest. You start with basic alpine climbing courses where you learn crampon techniques, rope management, and self-arrest skills.
Next, you need to test your body at altitude. Before attempting Everest, reliable agencies expect you to have summited at least one 6,000-meter peak, like Island Peak or Mera Peak in Nepal, followed by a 7,000-meter peak like Baruntse or Ama Dablam. This is the only way to know if your body can physically adapt to extreme altitude or if you are prone to severe high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE).
Finally, you need to focus heavily on cardiovascular endurance and leg strength. You will be walking uphill for 6 to 8 hours a day carrying a heavy pack, often in freezing temperatures while hypoxic. Spend a year doing weighted step-ups, long trail runs, and zone 2 cardio training.
When you finally book an expedition, do your homework on the agency. Look for operators that prioritize fair wages, medical insurance, and proper gear for their local support teams. The safety of your climb depends entirely on the health and expertise of guys like Kami Rita. Choose an organization that treats them with the respect they earn every single day.
